'We are not giving up': Monk family continues fight to restore founder's name to Wausau botanical gardens

Jamie Rokus, Wausau Daily Herald
·4 min read
Robert Monk IV stands near a small walking bridge at the previously named Monk Botanical Gardens in Wausau. The gardens were renamed as the Wausau Botanic Gardens on April 26. The bridge, which provides access to a strolling garden where the ashes of Monk’s parents, Robert and Carol Monk, were laid to rest within the Monk Botanical Gardens, has been in disrepair for year, Monk said. It is now barricaded with traffic cones and “do not enter” signs. Monk and his family are fighting the organization’s board to restore his father’s name to the botanical gardens and to make sure the gardens are properly maintained and his father’s vision is fulfilled, Monk said.

WAUSAU − Members of Robert Monk III's family say they are grateful for the outpouring of support they have received from the Wausau community since it was announced last week that the local botanical gardens that previously honored his legacy - the Monk Botanical Gardens − were renamed as the Wausau Botanic Gardens.

They also remain confused, angry and frustrated that the decision was made to remove the name of the man who in 2005 donated 19 acres of his property where the gardens now stand, without any discussion with his family. Robert Monk III had spent the previous 30 to 35 years transforming a former cow pasture to bring his vision to life, leading to the creation of the nonprofit Robert W. Monk Gardens Inc. and the botanical gardens, according to previous Wausau Daily Herald reports.

"They have disrespected my family. They have disrespected my father. And the community has been let down. It is shameful," Robert Monk IV, told a Wausau Daily Herald reporter Thursday afternoon. "This is a tragedy that didn't need to happen."

Robert Monk IV said the family is not giving up in their efforts to restore his father's name to the botanical gardens he is responsible for creating.

"We are not gonna give up. I'm gonna use anything I can to stop this nonsense," he said. "I'd like to stop the name change and put a couple of family members on the board. The board has lost their rudder. I don't want this to continue."

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An online petition also was started April 27 that has secured over 5,700 signatures as of early Friday morning supporting reinstating the Monk name to the botanical gardens. And comments on numerous Facebook posts have largely favored returning the name to Monk Botanical Gardens, with some people calling for boycotts of the gardens and related events until that occurs.

Darcie Howard, executive director of the newly named Wausau Botanic Gardens, told the Daily Herald Thursday that the board is discussing the naming of the gardens and is considering the community's responses to the name change.

"This process includes reaching out to persons who have been involved with and supportive of the Gardens in the past to assess their perspective on the community's comments and reactions," she said.

When the board announced the name change April 26, they also shared plans for the gardens including completion of a visitor center, fencing and other additions as part of their master plan.

Monk said it was never his father's vision for the gardens to include retail shops selling memorabilia and trinkets or to have multiple structures or a beer garden. His father also would have been upset that the garden plans to charge an admission fee, Monk said.

"Their vision is not my dad's vision," Monk said. "He wanted walking gardens − peaceful gardens − that were open to the community. But what they want to do now is turn it into a corporate enterprise − a circus."

Howard did confirm that the Wausau Botanic Gardens is developing a fee structure for admission that will be implemented sometime in 2025. She said because the nonprofit lacks a sustainable endowment it is necessary to generate some revenue to maintain and operate the gardens.

Monk said he has seen some programming at the gardens over the years that is "really good," especially the garden's educational programs and events for youth. He pointed to an Easter egg hunt that was hosted at the gardens. "I was thrilled. It's for the kids," he said.

And Monk is hoping that is the type of programming that will remain as the focus of the gardens as a way to continue his father's legacy and vision.

"I'd like to see this for the community. We'd like to see this be a bright spot for the community," Monk said. "But, the Monk name is gonna stay on that garden. We are not giving up."

Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.

This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Monk family fights to restore founder's name to Wausau botanical gardens